Miami football escapes Virginia Tech upset bid on controversial Hail Mary overturn

Miami escaped with a 38-34 victory on a stunning overturn of a call that looked like it could have gone either way, and fans all over social media were up in arms about it.

“The referees just blatantly stole a win from Virginia tech that’s actually egregious,” one commenter posted on X, formerly Twitter. Another added, “Nothing about that play in the Miami Virginia Tech game was clear and conclusive to overturn the call on the field lol they might as well throw those words out the rule book now.”

Some landed on the Miami side of things, such as CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli.

“This is where I ultimately land: The call was the correct call, but the process was horrific, and I’m OK with ignoring the process to get the correct call,” Fornelli wrote. “Virginia Tech fans will feel differently, and have every right to.”

Reasons to be concerned about Miami after moving to 5-0

Miami is now briefly the only team in college football to be 5-0, and they’re quote fortunate to be in that spot after Friday night’s controversial finish. Their offense, led by one of the Heisman Trophy frontrunners in Cam Ward, will almost always keep them in games, but Virginia Tech exposed some reasons to be concerned.

The first is the turnovers. Ward has become somewhat of an internet hero for his lackadaisical demeanor when he’s playing and his relaxed game style, but it leads to some casual turnovers, like his first quarter fumble that led to a Virginia Tech touchdown. Ward gave the ball away three times on the night, which is a number he must cut down.

The run defense was also concerning at times for Miami. The Hokies ran for 206 yards on 32 carries, and running back Bhayshul Tuten popped a few explosive runs on the Hurricanes’ defense. If they don’t get that cleaned up, the best teams in the nation will expose them for it.

Despite their struggles, this was a test passed for Miami in an ACC that appears to be pretty weak this season. In truth, the Hurricanes should have little trouble navigating most of their schedule. However, if they want to compete with the big boys, these are things that need to get addressed.